With Vitamin D, Osteoporosis Prevention is Even Stronger

With vitamin D, osteoporosis development becomes less of a threat. Based on current research on bone nutrition and other health issues, a growing number of health experts recommend going beyond the current recommended daily allowance (RDA) for vitamin D of 400 IU under a doctor's supervision.

So what is vitamin D? Don't we make it anyway when we sit in the sun?

Yes, we do. When sunlight's UVB rays hit your skin, your skin makes vitamin D₃ or cholecalciferol. With today's indoor lifestyles and prudent sunscreen use, we often don't produce enough on our own. And few foods offer a natural source of vitamin D.

Without this important vitamin, the rest of our bone nutrition may go right out the door. We can't use the calcium we take in as effectively to build our bones.

This hits our bones' supply of calcium in two ways. First, it reduces our ability to keep replenishing the calcium in our bones. Calcium is not just skeletal building material.  As the most abundant mineral in our body, it has a number of different roles such activating our nerves. If we don't get enough calcium for all its uses from our diet, our body takes it from our calcium bank our bones.

As our calcium stores are depleted, our bones eventually become brittle and unable to withstand too much pressure. In fact, even the pressure of carrying our own weight or just moving around can cause our bones to give way. Research has demonstrated that most falls linked to osteoporosis are not the cause of the bone break . . . The fracture happens and then the fall! 

When you get enough vitamin D, osteoporosis (and the falls and fractures that come with it) may become less of a hazard in your life. Don't know if you're getting enough? Contact our office to help you find out.